October 27,1983
Black Ink
Page 7
Carolina's inside linebackers core of the Tar HeeFs success
by Dan Spells
Sports Editor
Micah Moon and Bill Sheppard,
the two inside linebackers that make
up the core of the Carolina defense,
have added tremendously to the
success of the Tarheels this fall.
Moon, a six-three, 227 lb. native of
Altavista, Virginia, leads the team in
tackles, and he has one pass in
terception this season. The Tarheel
defense has been criticized in recent
weeks for playing with a lack of in
tensity. Some of the players will be
the first to admit that they have
been less than intense. In the brief
moments that the Tarheels have
played with intensity, Micah Moon
has usually been the intensifier.
Moon, with his abusive tackles and
relentless harassment of opposing
quarterbacks, leaves the crowds in
Kenan open-mouthed with awe and
on the edge of their seats.
Bill Sheppard
Moon is not so intense off the
field as he is on. Usually after a
game Moon can be found in a more
laid back atmosphere. Moon fre
quents the local arcade to get away
from the intense moments found on
the football field.
Bill Sheppard, Moon's counter
part, can be categorized in the same
sense as Moon. Sheppard is a hitter.
Micah Moon
Usually when the Carolina defense
stops a ball carrier you will find Bill
Sheppard close by. This tackling is a
sharp contrast to Sheppard's high
school days when he was a star
tailback. Sheppard is one of the few
players in Carolina history that saw
considerable playing time as a
freshman. In the years that followed
Sheppard gained valuable ex
After issue is resolved
Mikeman, officials speak
by Gwendolyn Hailey
Editor in Chief
The mikeman controversy
centered around events that led to
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Sharon Mitchell and Band Director
John Yesulaitis to ask for the resigna
tion of Carolina's first black
mikeman, Kenny Ward.
According to Ward he was asked
to resign because of the off-color and
racist jokes he incorporated into his
routine. The request for his resigna
tion came from the Chancellor's of
fice, the athletic department and
Dean Bolden's office.
"Before I was asked to resign, I
was told by Sharon Mitchell and Ma
jor Y that my job was over. I was also
advised to resign to make things
easier on myself and to not quote
that 1 had been asked to resign."
Ward said that he perceived his
duties as mikeman to be leading
cheers and entertaining the crowd
during "boring" games. He said he
thought he was effective in his posi
tion, "I would have been more effec
tive if I had had full crowd participa
tion and we had played challenging
teams," he said.
According to Ward, his routine
was not in poor taste. "I have done
nothing different from previous
mikemen."
"1 never received criticism. After
games, the administration never told
me how to improve. After the first
game Major Y and Assistant Band
Director Allen Reep told me I was
doing a good job but had to work on
my tempo by keeping a constant
beat. I was never reprimanded."
"This issue effects the morale of
blacks on this campus because it
shows that all students can be
treated unfairly by the University and
by the system whether they are
black, white or any other color," said
Ward.
"They (the administration,
cheerleaders, ^d..students) should
have given me a chance to do the job
I was selected to do. Open lines of
communication would have helped
me do my job better," said Ward.
According to Sharon Mitchell,
Ward was fired because he did not
portray a "positive Carolina type of
style in good taste, which has a long
background of tradition and is
something that people can be proud
of."
When asked for the specifics that
led to Ward's resignation, Mitchell
stated that she had not given out
details of conversations between
Ward and the Office of Stuident Af
fairs.
"If he wants to release information
from those conversations that's his
prerogative."
Mitchell asserts that there were no
racial motivations in asking for
Ward's resignation. "If Kenny
rethought the whole situation he
would know that the whole situation
had no racial implications."
Mitchell claims that Ward was
evaluated after every game. "He was
criticized about specific behavior.
His image and the style he portrayed
was discussed."
When asked to comment on the
distasteful performances of previous
mikemen, Mitchell replied, "I've
never been involved with previous
mikemen so I'm not aware of
previous performances in poor
taste."
"Kenny will definitely not be
reinstated. We will do exactly what
we did for the last home game," said
Mitchell.
Several UNC administrators have
responded to questions concerning
the resignation of the mikeman.
"I am concerned with the tradition
of the mikeman and his role in
motivating the crowd. The history of
the mikemen has been terrible. It is
unfortunate that the administration
took cbrrettive' action on this par
ticular mikeman," said Vice
Chancellor Harold Wallace.
"If the facts are true about a per
formance that included racist jokes,
that concerns me, regardless of who
the performer is," he said.
"1 would hope the whole com
munity would be a little more sen
sitive to matters of race. After the
fact, we can say we are sorry, but
after you do it, it's too late," said
Wallace.
"I feel the reason for terminating
Ken were not racial, however there is
a suspicion of racism for the average
fan for not supporting Kenny, and he
had a good argument for that point.
He negated that argument with the
jokes he told at the games," said
Hayden B. Renwick, associate Dean
of Arts and Sciences.
"I would be very upset if a white
student did the same routines as Ken
ny," he said.
In referring to the action taken by
the administration, Renwick said
"They should not have asked him to
resign after the first game — they
should have fired him. No white stu
dent would have been allowed to
perform like that."
"What Student Affairs did wrong is
that they failed to explain to the
students what was done and exactly
why action was taken," he said.
Renwick recommended that
students demand that when future
mikemen perform they adhere to the
same rules and regulations that were
demanded of Kenny. H
perience that appears game by
game in his performances this year.
Sheppard was named Atlantic Coast
Conference Player of the Week after
his performance against Georgia
Tech. In that game Sheppard made
11 solo tackles and assisted on 15
tackles. Sheppard should be a strong
candidate for All-ACC linebacker
along with Micah Moon.
When not on the field the 6-1, 224
lb. native of Jacksonville, North
Carolina spends his time listening to
music or sometimes watching televi
sion.
Carolina football teams are
famous for their defensive teams.
The Carolina defense has been na
tionally ranked for a number of
years and with the play of Micah
Moon and Bill Sheppard the Tarheel
defensive unit will continue to earn
merits worthy of a national ranking.
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